If you are a shared owner you will pay rent on the part of your home that we own. This does not cover the cost of any services. Please remember that your rent will be reviewed on an annual basis.

Ground Rent

If you are a shared owner in a flat you may have to pay ground rent. Ground rent is the rent charged for the piece of land that your home is built on. It is usually a small amount and details of the cost and how often it is paid are set out in your lease.

Service Charges

Service charges are payments made to us for the services and maintenance. Service charges will differ from one area to another and will depend on the type of home and the terms of your lease.

All new build homes have a ‘defects period’. This varies from property to property but it’s generally around 12 months and starts from the point the home is finished not from when you move in.

If, during this period you notice a defect with your home please let us know by calling 0333 400 8222. We’ll then contact the developer on your behalf who will arrange for any work to be carried out.

A defect might be:

A door that doesn’t close properly

Hot water not working

Window latches not working

Leaks in the bathroom

Unless the defect is an emergency or urgent issue, the developer has 28 days to visit to inspect this. They will then let you know whether this will be fixed straightaway or picked up at the end of the defects period.

A surveyor will inspect your home when the defect period ends and it’s important that you let them know at this point if there are any other issues which need to be looked at. All defects can then be discussed and repairs arranged if necessary.

We can’t deal with defects if they have been caused because you have:

Put in new fittings

Made alterations or additions to your home

This is why we always advise against making any substantial changes to your home during the defects period.

The defects period does not cover general wear and tear, or damage caused by yourself, your family or any visitors or pets. You may be charged for work that is carried out as a result of damage (including accidental) or neglect.

If you have any difficulties resolving defects issues with the developer our quality manager and his team will investigate this for you.

We rely on the developer and its consultants to coordinate and action repairs in new build properties as and when they arise.

To do this we need to share your name and contact details with them so that you can be contacted for repairs to be undertaken and by asking us to look into a defect, you are agreeing for us to do this.

What happens when the defects period ends?

After the defect period ends the developer will no longer be required to carry out any work on your home and you will take on full responsibility for the repair and maintenance of your home.

Our new properties have a NHBC or similar warranty for major structural faults. This usually lasts for 10 or 12 years. If you want to make a claim you should contact NHBC or the relevant warranty provider. Your building insurance is provided by us and certain repairs may be covered by insurance. If you want to make a claim on the building insurance policy contact our brokers AJ Gallagher on 01245 341200 who will arrange for a claim form to be sent to you.

Carrying out any repairs to your home. New properties have a set time period within which the housing developer must fix defects – this varies but is usually 12 months. The 12 months start from when the builder hands over the property to us, not from when you move in. After this all repairs are your responsibility as a home owner. If you want to make improvements to your home you will need permission from us first.

‘Major works’ is the term we use to describe large-scale building projects that are carried out to keep your property in good condition. The works are carried out as part of an ongoing maintenance programme.

These major works projects are planned in advance and include things like:

Maintaining the structure of the building, external walls and roofs.

Maintaining and upgrading items within the building for example lifts, door entry system and fire alarms.

Maintaining the decoration of the building, for example painting the communal and external areas.

Occasionally major work is necessary in an emergency such as repairing a roof leak.

How are major works paid for?

Your lease will provide information about this. There may be a sinking fund that can be used or the cost may be invoiced to leaseholders when the works are completed. If you are concerned about meeting the cost of major works to your property you should discuss this with the home ownership team.

Major works vary in cost, but we will always make sure you know how much is being spent. If any leaseholder will need to contribute more than £250 (or £100 per year for a long term contract for a service such as grounds maintenance) we are required by law to start a consultation process with all leaseholders which is known as a ‘Section 20’ consultation. This is drawn from the landlord & Tenant Act 1985 and because the Act stipulates the procedure the language we use in the communications can often seem very formal and legal.

We must serve you with a ‘Notice of Intention’ which describes the planned works we want to carry out or the service contract we want to set up. We will ask you for your written comments and for your preferences on contractors to carry out the works. You will have 30 days to respond with your comments, questions and nominations.

After the first notice we make a record of your comments and ask a range of contractors to send estimates for the works.

We must get at least two estimates. If contractors you have nominated are not on our list of preferred suppliers they can still be asked to provide an estimate but they will need to comply with our requirements in order to be successful.

We will then send you a ‘Notice of Estimates’. This will give details of the estimates received. We will also send you a summary of the comments we’ve had from leaseholders together with our responses. We will explain where you can view all the estimates we received in more detail and invite you to make comments on them. We will consider all observations and comments received before making the decision of which contractor to appoint.

If we choose a contractor who is not the cheapest and was not nominated by leaseholders, we will send you a ‘Notice of Reasons’ explaining why.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Aster Group and while we will try to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose.